Highland Bride

Murray Family #6

by Hannah Howell

Though she has yet to be courted by any man, spirited Gillyanne Murray decides the time has come to visit the dower lands gifted to her by her father's kinsmen. She arrives to find the small keep surrounded by three lairds, each one vying for her hand and property. Though resolved to refuse them all, the threat of battle on her threshold forces her to boldly choose a suitor: Sir Connor MacEnroy, a handsome, daring knight of few words. As his wife, Gillyanne is stunned by his terse, cold distance-and her own yearning to feel passion in his arms. Now, bringing her healing touch to a land and a keep ravaged by treachery and secret enemies, she dares to reach out for the one thing she fears she may forever be denied. . .her husband's closely guarded heart.

Praise for Hannah Howell and her Highland novels. . .

"Few authors portray the Scottish highlands as lovingly or colorfully as Hannah Howell." -Publishers Weekly

"Expert storyteller Howell pens another Highland winner." -Romantic Times

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Medieval, Adult, Scotland

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Hannah Dustin Howell is a best-selling American author of over 40 historical romance novels. Many of her novels are set in medieval Scotland. She also writes under the names Sarah Dustin, Sandra Dustin, and Anna Jennet (see below).

She has also used the following pseudonyms:
Anna Jennet, Sarah Dustin and Sandra Dustin

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

review posted on Demon Lover's Books & More

3.5

I have got to stop reading Hannah Howell books. I just don’t enjoy them. All too often I find the same story or plot device just in a different book. I think this is one of those authors I’m just going to have to part ways with.

For those of you who like Hannah Howell, this is one of her better heroines. I really liked Gilly, which is funny since I didn’t care for her in Highland Knight.

Gilly has grown into a realistic and intelligent woman.

When approached by 3 different lairds whose lands bordered the small keep and land she was given, she outwitted them time and time again. BUT she also realistically knew that she was being given an option to choose her husband, which is far more than most women were allowed.

This is where my issues came into play. I didn’t really care for the hero. I did understand why he was the way he was, I just didn’t like it. All of his reasons really just made me like him less.

I think that the plot with Gilly and the mistress was a good idea, but I didn’t like how oblivious the men were. Which I know is part of the Hannah Howell sense of humor-men need a good woman and are completely clueless without one, but still... Not my cuppa.

I think I’ll just leave this at if you like Hannah Howell, you’ll like this one.

***Review copy provided by Kensington Publishing

[Севдалина · Rating 5 out of 5]

Джилиан Мъри и Конър Макенрой

"Шотландска съпруга" в Читанка



Лейди Джилиан Мъри, дъщеря на сър Ерик и лейди Бетия Мъри от , решава да замине за Ал-Давок, имението, подарено й от чичтото на баща й, тъй като у дома се чувства нещастна. Всички е семейството й са щастливи, намират любовта и създават семейства, докато тя сякаш стои на едно място. Нещо вътрешно й подсказва, че трябва да замине за владението си. Заедно с нея заминава и братовчед й Джеймс. Скоро обаче двамата откриват, че макар и леко занемърена, крепостта е добре укрепена, а земите богати, превръщайки владението в много желана награда.



Конър Макенрой, става леърд на клана си още на 15 годишна възраст. След изтощителни битки, подклаждани от цели две поколения, клановете Макенрой, Далглеш и Гауди най-после успяват почти да се унищожат, и със смъртта на леърдите, синовете им създават пакт с който се заклеват да сложат край на враждата, и че макар никога няма да са приятели, то, ако един от тримата наруши примирието, другите двама се задължават да го накажат. Клана Макенрой преживява най-големи загуби. С изключение на половин дузина членове на клана, всички възрастни са избити, оставяйки 15-16 годишни младежи да съградят отново сринатият със земята клан. За да опази хората си, както и братята и сестра си, Конър затваря сърцето си за всякаква нежност и смях, решен, че трябва да бъде силен за всички. Така че, когато научава, че Ал-Давок, най-доходоносното владение около тях, е станало притежание на млада дама, която не е нито омъжена нито сгодена, заедно с другите двама леърди изковават план. Да накарат момичето да се омъжи за един от тях. За Конър придобиването на Ал-Давок значи, че клана му повече няма да гладува, и че ще осигури собствен дом за поне един от братята си.



Джилиан обаче хич не е впечатлена от "Щедрото" предложение на тримата леърди и влага целият си ум и хитрост да надвие атаките им без да пролее нито капка кръв, надявайки се баща й да дойде по-скоро и да я избави от тази беда. Като всяко младо момиче, тя желае брак по любов, а тримата леърди не я искат, заради самата нея, а само да сложат ръка на имота й. Баща й обаче не идва на време и след заплахата за посъвместна атака от страна и на тримата, тя взима решение да стане съпруга на Конър.



Сега пред нея се отваря нова битка за печелене. Конър е затворил сърцето си за любовта, а тя отказва да живее без нея, затова ще направи всичко по силите си, да разбие стените, с които се е обградил... докато в същото време непознат враг с неизвестни подбуди, търси начин да провали щастието им.

Обожавам тази книга. Тя ми е една от любимите на Хана и просто всеки път щом я препрочета се изпълвам със задоволство. Толкова забавна, нежна, романтична и красива история. История за големи загуби, за сила на духа и за това, че човек винаги трябва да се бори за нещата, които желае и да не прави компромиси, задоволявайки се с нещо по-малко от това, което истински заслужава. Огромни 5***** и препоръчвам на всеки да я прочете поне веднъж.

Сюжетни линии:
👑 уреден брак
⚡ от врагове до любовници
🏴‍☠️ мистериозен шотландски леърд
👩‍🎨 остроумна героиня
🌄 интриги и убийства
😂 хумор

⚠️ Предупреждения:
⚔️ насилие и сблъсъци
🕵️‍♂️ заговор и убийство
😤 психологическо напрежение
😡 жестък характер и конфликти


📹 Виж TikTok видеото тук:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNduU3fkp/
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNduUECEv/

[Jen. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always loved Gillyanne's character throughout the Murray series, her book did not disappoint.

Gillyanne Murray has dower lands gifted to her from her father's kinsmen and she decides that she is going to go visit them and the keep there. Gillyanne has always felt that men never paid any attention to her and she was wanting the romance that her cousins had found. Afraid she will never marry, Gillyanne decides she'll just become the laird of her dower lands. Unknown to her, the three lairds that surround her dower lands have their eye on the land and after not knowing who owned the land, they go to court and are told by the king that an unwed lass holds the lands and 'suggests' that one of them marry her to gain the lands. This sends the three lairds to the small keep's gate seeking her out.

As with Murray tradition, they are allowed to seek out someone they love and marry them instead of the standard treaty/arranged marriage. She advises the lairds that she will not accept any of them. The lairds decide that they will each take a day to try and storm the keep and capture the lass and wed her and get the lands. Gillyanne defeats each of the attempts with Murray flair and gains the ire of the lairds. To avoid a joint attack by all three lairds that would lead to the bloodshed she has worked to avoid, Gillyanne agrees to wed the least bruised ego and the one who seemed to find her victory over the lairds almost hilarious -Sir Connor MacEnroy.

After surviving and rebuilding from a devastating feud that decimated the MacEnroys, Connor has kept the rigid wall up between himself and his feelings as he has been led to believe that as a laird he needs to be stern and if he were 'soft' his kinsmen would think less of him. Behind closed doors (and away from his kinsmen), Connor's relationship with Gillyanne is fine but he is unable to verbally express his feelings for her and Gillyanne cannot sense his feelings. Gillyanne wants more than a sexual connection with her husband and she's willing to leave him if she doesn't get it.

This is a great Hannah Howell book and lives up to the fireball Gillyanne.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book. You will fall in love with the fun characters. Gillyanne is a little fireball, and sweeps Conner away with her love and strength. Conner is hansome and fierce, but needs a guiding hand in thier relationship. Have fun reading this one.

[Jac K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feb. 2022-reread ... listened to the audio... leaving the review/rating as is... audiobook narrator does a good job.

This is the other book in the Murray Family series I read each March. (along with Highland Vow) I don’t enjoy is quite as much, but it is much the same as the first 2 books of the kid’s spinoffs. She even mentions it in the epilogue while the H’s get to know each other. All three are tall, handsome, start with the letter C, and have mistresses that have been hanged. 2 of the 3 have “bastards”, so there’s definitely a formula.

Once again, the h steals the show. It’s not really historically accurate, but I love that the females are empowered and aggressive. Gillyanne demands respect and does not shyly accept things she doesn’t like…she even informs Connor that she’s not happy with their love making. (he’s been told wives don’t want pleasure and just want it over with while lemans are to accept the passion)

Also, the “Scottish tidbits” are many, and could be annoying for some readers. For Example,
“Meg, do ye think ye might rein in your bawd’s ways until Fiona isnae here? She kens ye are a whore, but she is a wee bit young to see ye behave so.” She then recognized the man. “And ye are Malcolm, Joan’s husband. Ye should be thoroughly ashamed of yourself.”
… she denies ye your husbandly rights then I suppose she deserves the deep, painful humiliation she suffers kenning that ye rut with Meg and that all here ken it.” “All?” croaked Malcolm. “And, ’tis probably a just punishment that Joan not only do her own work, but that left undone by the woman ye betray her with. Aye, each time she does Meg’s chores because Meg is probably busy rutting with you, Joan should be properly chastised for failing ye as a wife. Harsh justice, but necessary, I suppose.”

**********Original Review**********

Gillyanne (daughter of Eric & Bethia) and Sir Connor MacEnroys story. Gillyanne has never been courted and sets out to live in her lands. Three lairds are all competing for her hand in marriage to acquire her lands. After thwarting their first attempts, she agrees to marry Sir Connor. She is whisked off immediately to a priest to marry then a rushed stop for a quickie consummation.

Connor's clan (all adults) was wiped out when he was a young teen , and he was forced to become laird and keep his young clan alive. His only guidance was from his grumpy evil uncle, whom gave him some ass backward ideals of how to be a laird and husband.

Much of the book is spent with Gilly trying to get Connor to love her. The responsibility forced upon him has made him cold, super serious and closed off. He doesn't mistreat her, just closed off at times.

There are cameos from several of the Murray family, and a great epilogue that gives updates from couples in books 4-6...Cormac, Cameron & Connor catch up. The audio is pretty good as well, and part of the audible escapes.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I am disappointed. I did finish the whole book, though, so I could write a fair review. The only reason I gave this two stars is because the beginning was funny and I liked the heroine. She had spunk and she was quite amusing. Otherwise, it would have been an easy one star rating.

I found two major turnoffs for me in this novel.

First, I thought the hero, Conner, was a dud. His character started off well, being amused and appreciative of Gillyanne's efforts to stall him and his companions from whisking her off and marrying her for her land.

After marrying her, glimpses of Connor's feelings were few and far between. Not knowing how to treat a woman has been used before in historical romance, but here it just doesn't work. If anything his character seemed to regress into a neanderthal ignorant oaf, an alpha male wannabe, and close to one-dimensional. Wow, that sounds really harsh, but I haven't run across such a total unlikable hero in a long time. Maybe I need to read more.

Anyway, this leads to beef number two. Despite his lack of expressive feeling towards her she falls in love with him anyway, and way too soon in the story. Ironically, Gillyanne is supposed to have a gift that lets her sense what another is feeling, but she cannot sense his. Could it be he doesn't really have any? I think it would have been a lot more interesting if she could sense them, and then maybe falling for him so fast might have been somewhat believable.

I'd like to end with a positive note, so as to balance the review out a little bit. I liked some of the other characters very much, and her family has some dimension and appeal. Since this book is part of a series, perhaps the others are better. I'll be taking a pass, though.

[Kathrynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Gillyanne Murray (daughter of Eric and Bethia Murray in Highland Promise) and Connor MacEnroy--his siblings have stories (Fiona of 11 knives/Highland Warrior, etc).

Eric and Bethia didn't follow tradition of the time period and made sure EACH of their children had their own "lands." In this tale, Gillyanne Murray travels to her lands to find a feud amongst her surrounding neighbors. They decided (while she was gone) that she needed to marry one of them. Ever the diplomat, she comes up with a contest of sorts for all three and the winner gets her and her lands.

When Eric Murray gets word of his daughter being forced into marriage he arrives on the scene and he is not a person to mess with...even if he is vertically challenged.
Good Story! Good characters! Oh,Payton Murray is in this story, too (Highland Angel).

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very new to Hannah Howell's writing, but i've read about 10 of her books in the last 2 months. Though I was entertained enough by the plots to keep reading them, I continued to buy them to see if I was going to finally see some originality from one story to the next. I feel like all the female characters in the books i've read so far are EXACTLY the same, and the men, too... for the most part. Their actions might be a little different, and their backgrounds, but their thoughts and feelings seem exactly the same. And, so far, all the women are short, petite, with small breasts. Not that I care, but the redundancy was extremely annoying to me. The sexual experience was exactly the same in all the books i've read with all the women being "bold" and the men doing "that one thing" for the first time to their brides. And, I am still trying to understand what is up with the cats? Maybe I should keep reading, but so far.... not a big fan. Like I mentioned earlier, it is entertaining reading but not impressive at all. And, some stories are better than others, of course.

[Izzie d · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay.
Other woman drama.
No intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
Hero doesn't show interest in his ex mistress once married.
HEA.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Omg so hilarious. I was wondering how Gilly's adventure would turn out. Awesome.

[Paraphrodite · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

I really enjoyed Gilly and Connor. I remembered her as this precocious girl in the previous books and she didn't disappoint as an adult. I found her initial defence of her property against her three supposed "suitors" quite inspired.

Connor seems a bit dour and cold at the beginning but you can see how much he had to take on as a half-grown boy when all the adults were killed in his clan. Especially when the only adult example was his misogynistic uncle.

I am looking forward to reading Connor's siblings.

[Shubha · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a boring book. Gyllyanne was literally the hero(that's right ,not heroine!) of the book. I honestly could not stand the dialogues in the book. The strong scottish english spoken was not attractive!I understood what they were saying...and author did a good job in depicting scottish accent by writing in that format but I could not stand it.

The book is about 3 clan leaders(laird), fighting to marry Gillyanne just to get her dowry land, which is between their lands. She eventually chooses one,Conner, to prevent bloodshed. Once Conner finds out she was chosen he quickly and forcefully marries her. He also quickly consummates the marriage(which I think lasted 30sec-terrible I tell you and she complained of no pain...I am not convinced). Soon when she is in Connor's land she learns of his leman,Meg. The book is basically about Gyllyanne and jealous Meg. Gyllyanne is not typical goody girl especially to Meg. They bitch fight in the whole book. I don't know where Conner is or who he is because Gyllyanne character overwrites his and he pretty much ends up listening to whatever his new wife says or wants. Gyllyanne has some special abilities...ooohhh woow...not really because they are called 6th sense!Oh and she heals quickly...big deal.

I honestly stopped reading after like 80% of the book.I couldn't continue especially when there are so many juicy books out there, that have a far attractive storyline staring at me on my e-reader.I just don't care about the ending!

[Elizabeth Bennet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book Rocked! I loved the humor she added to her book. It reminded me of Lindsay Sands writing. Gilly is a spirited Murray that I enjoy reading about, not one bit afraid of how big her husband is to tell him how she feels (both verbally and physically). It was comical to read about Conner and his lame ass attempt to bed his virgin bride. It was even more enjoyable when Conner's whore tried to tempt Conner in front of Gilly at the dinner table.

I tell I'm with Gilly had I lived in those days and my man had a whore let alone one that chose to rub her nasty tits against him and for him to think nothing of it I would of handled just as she did. I have been so disappointed with other books not giving me this, "Walk away good feeling," lately.

For me this book had the excitement in it you want to read about, it had the neanderthal male who once again a woman had to train to be a real husband, it had humor, love, a bad ass woman willing to fight for what was hers, but above all it kept both main characters figuring it out together and lately the books I've chose have the couple apart with ridiculous misunderstandings that frustrate me.

If your looking for a book to make you laugh and just let go of the day to day BS and feel good look no further than this book.

[Rhapsody · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third of the trilogy I think, but the first one I've read. Twenty-one year old Gilly gives up on waiting for a husband and decides to go live in her dowry lands. The three neighboring lords immediately try to coerce her into marrying one of them. She holds them off for a few days with some amusings antics, but when it comes down to picking one or risking bloodshed, she goes with the stoic Connor. A standard brusque but kindhearted hero must be tamed by the loving heroine plot, with a possibly evil uncle lurking in the shadows and a murder-mystery at the end. The dialogue was written phonetically according to the accent (e.g. doesnae instead of doesn't) and it was irritating to read in the beginning--I very nearly quit--but either I got used to it or she lightened up with it further along.

[Danette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good one!!

[Alicia Pelz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is, I admit, a reread for me. This was the first book that I read by this author and I was very eager to go back, once I realized that it was a part of a series, and read the previous ones in the series. This was so loosely connected to the previous books that it was almost like a standalone, which was good the first time I read it, and even to a point, this time. There were some mentions to previous books, but it was easy enough to follow along to those references.

This book is about a couple that is learning to overcome their differences, their misunderstandings, and learning to trust each other, and grow, not only closer to each other, but closer to their families.

This is a slower paced book, but it flows evenly and well. A lot happens, but the plot is very much character driven and it needs to be understood that while it seems to be mostly romance, there is some intrigue involved, and learning more about family members and their past.

[TinaMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gillyanne owns property that Connor and three other lords want, they force her to choose one of them after a brief siege. Connor is remote and has funny ideas about how to treat a lady wife and Gillyanne quickly disabuses him of most. Lots of fun moments, especially her ability to let the keep know when dinner is about ot be served from her vocalness in the bedroom. It's not a smooth ride as people plot against them and Connor's funny ideas trip him up, but a great read.

[S Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars she wanted him and did everything to keep him, no real challenge there. The beginning was funny in her attempts to thwart her 3 suitors but the story overall was repetitious. The cycle of conflict and passion became boring and held no true suspense or tension because you knew it was just rinse and repeat.
The writing was ok if only she could have added some depth to the story and made the FMC’s efforts to win the MMC less predictable.

[Firesofwinter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I actually was pleasantly surprised by the first few chapters. Gillyann fending off her 'suitors' (and I think calling them suitors is way too generous, they're thieves who want to marry her by force to steal her land) by throwing cow-shit on them and getting them high as balls by throwing peyote or marijuana or some shit into the fire?... That shit was genuinely funny and entertaining.

Then she actually chooses one of the suitors, Connor, and he absolutely sucks. This is a classic 'his sad backstory is seen as the sole excuse for the emotional abuse he perpetrates against the heroine' trope. I don't know about you, but it should not be a plotpoint for an adult man to learn why he should be emotionally open. A man in a romance book should come out of the box already knowing how to experience human emotion. Am I crazy for thinking that's below bare minumum for a book like this? God!

Anyway, Gillyann is interesting (This is Eric and Bethia's daughter from Book 3). In Book 5 she was one of my favorite characters, but all the men around her seemed to be obsessed with this idea that she wasn't beaten often enough by her dad, because she's too 'mouthy'... But y'know? I just don't see it! Grown men literally fantasizing about hitting a 13 year old girl in the face for the most banal comments ever, it is so unjustified and unwarranted but supposed t give you the illusion that Gillyann is some sort of 'spitfire.' Gilly wasn't nearly as fiery or 'mouthy' as the people around her were treating her as. Hell, compared to Maldie from book 1, Gilly is absolutely tame. She's hoping for a good marriage, for love and children, she's coming into this relationship with optimism and hope, and she gets' NOTHING. I'm mentioning that to say that she doesn't deserve the way she's treated in this book.

The moment we got to that scene where they go back to his keep, and everyone just goes inside and they leave her alone there sitting on her horse?..... I was shocked by that. Anyone who doesn't understand much about medieval society and how heirarchical it was might not realize how much of an insult and a humiliation this was, but dude. This was not how a noblewoman was treated when visiting another noble-house. Whether her husband liked her or not, she was accorded a certain amount of respect because of her position in society, and she was treated less than a serf in that scene. No regard whatsoever. When Gillyann confronts Connor about this disrespect, Connor openly threatens to beat her and tells her that her only purpose to him as a wife is to give him her family's land through marriage, and to get pregnant, (i.e., be his cocksleeve and broodmare). He's literally SUCH a disgusting pig. The story desperately tries to make Connor come off as chivalrous for 'taking his lust to prostitutes like Meg', and blame his misogynistic views on his alcoholic Uncle Neil, who apparently 'taught' him' to be misogynistic, but it's just fucking off-putting.

I am so sick of the 'super tough toxic dude-bro who is '''''scared'''' of love but has no discretion with his penis' trope. He's scared of intimacy but perfectly comfortable with sex. Another reviewer, Vanessa pointed out something like "his character seemed to regress into a neanderthal ignorant oaf, an alpha-male wannabe, and close to one-dimensional", and ... yeah, she's totally right. The point of an erotic book is a romantic fantasy and some sexy scenes. It's hard to get in a horny mood reading your silly little scottish romance book when the male lead is such a alpha male piece of shit. I don't know about you, but the idea of having sex with such a misogynistic pig fills me with disgust; I don't care how hot the person is, disgust is an instant boner-killer, it's the antithesis of horniness. A major subplot of this book is Conner learning to express his emotions, and I don't know about ya'll, but that's something I like men to come out of the box knowing how to do already. I don't find it compelling to watch a grown man learn how to say 'i love you' while fucking sweating and shaking and almost throwing up, because apparently that amount of 'weakness' is 'TOO MUCH' for him. Like shut the fuck up bro.

The sex scenes are also really repetitive. There's multiple scenes where everyone is laughing at Gilly for being loud during sex, because apparently everyone can hear her screaming in pleasure, and this is something that is openly joked about by the people in the keep, even the maids feel free to laugh at the Lady of the keep. There's an entire chapter dedicated to the 'Haha, she screams during sex' thing. And you know what, that's actually somehow played off as a good thing. It's good that everyone's laughing about her being sexually dominated because Conner hasn't laughed in years! Isn't that good that he's laughing about his wife being humiliated sexually in front of all the servants and guards? Like bro, fuck you! After that there's this little aside where the men are like 'Do you think we hurt her feelings? y'know cause woMeN don't like it when their private business is spread around.' Uhhh doyyyy, I dunno, do you think it was inappropriate that we talked about her having sex with her husband and all laughed at her???? The only thing I can conclude from scenes like this are that women are so used to men disregarding boundaries that it becomes normal to them and they go on to write stuff like this as if it's absolutely normal. It's not normal for your husband to laugh about how you sound during sex in front of all your employees that you also live with.

There was an insane amount of sex in this book even compared to the other books. There's literally a conjugal visit chapter. Mind you, Gilly had just gotten shot in the back with an arrow two days before, but sexually servicing her man while he was locked in a tower was the most important thing right then, wtf. This book had so much bath-tub and bath-house sex, it was unreal. There was also the obsession with food sex from the last book creeping into this book. We keep hearing about honey and jam being stolen and getting on the sheets. Also, it has to be said, this author 100% has an inferiority complex about small boobs. As a woman who was flat-chested all through puberty and adolescence and was very sensitive about it, I'm calling like I see it. This is bitter small-boobie fanfiction. Every single book, Hannah Howell goes out of her way to describe the heroine as having small tits and insecure about it in comparison to 'buxom' and 'fulsome' maids around her. Every woman with normal-sized boobs is somehow 'flaunting' her breasts and using them to entice men, setting up this vague sense that having boobs is somehow slutty and having small boobs is virtuous and pure. (My ex-catholic senses are tingling.) There's a scene in every fucking story about the heroine being insecure about her small boobs and 'she's not what men usually want, men want girls with bigger tits' and then she goes on to learn she's irresistible to her man even WITH her small boobs and learning to love herself, and it turns out the big-boob girl was a mean whore anyway. I will not take it back, this is small-boob catholic-schoolgirl fanfiction that 13 year olds write after Stacey with the C-cups went on a date with the boy you have a crush on while you're stuffing your bra with tissues and crying. Like you cannot tell me that 6 heroines in a ROW all have tiny boobs and that's somehow a coincidence. I SEE you, Hannah Howell!

Every one of these books has an archetype of an evil whore with big boobs, and in this book, that's Meg. She's a caricature of the 'evil slut' you were mad at when you were 12, i.e., the girl who went out with your crush who is actually a completely normal person, but you villainize her because she's pretty and you're jealous of her. This book had a chance for the bad guy to be Uncle Neil and not the 3rd book in a row where 'evil whore' was the bad guy, but Hannah Howell just didn't take the bait, she just loves the madonna-whore dichotomy she sets up between her main heroine and whatever caricature of a slutty bitch she comes up with as a contrast. She seems to get off on the 'evil' woman getting tortured or punished in some way at the end of these books too. This one even has a kangaroo-court-esque torture-scene where Gilly and some other women literally drive Meg insane by cutting her hair off and taunting her about being a prostitute.

There is ONE poignant moment in this book though, and it's during this torture sequence. Outside, there are some dudes listening to Meg scream, and Fiona points out 'None of this would have happened if you lads had kept your britches laced.'.... And yeah. This book keeps painting Meg as this ultimate villain, but keeps forgetting that ALL THE MEN OF THE KEEP were constantly having sex with her. You'd think Meg were bewitching them and forcing them into it somehow, but that's the trick of misogyny, isn't it. The men aren't responsible for voluntarily seeking out her services. The men aren't expected to control their lust or show some discretion about where they stick their penis, and they're offended if you even point out that they're making an active choice by doing that. If there's an opportunity for sex with a prostitute, they're not expected to refuse or resist temptation. It's Meg's fault for enticing them by being a sex worker at all. If she weren't a prostitute, somehow that would mean all these good faithful men would remain loyal to their marriages. You could say that's the overarching theme of the Murray Daughters trilogy: "Women are at fault for everything that men do. If men cheat, it's because women seduced them into it. Married men aren't to blame for cheating on their wives or sleeping with prostitutes, it's the prostitutes fault for being prostitutes at all.

These books have major problems, and I have to say, as for historical accuracy, this is the least accurate in the entire series so far. This book's entire plot hinges on the assumptions that Gilly somehow owns her own dower lands because they were left to her by her Great Uncle in his will. That's not how the law works. If she gets married, everything she owns immediately becomes property of her husband. If she never marries, then when the Great Uncle dies, the lands go to her next male relative. They never belonged to her. She had no property rights, period. This book also wants you to believe that she could somehow procure the right to divorce because she was married 'under coercion', but sadly this wasn't true. Whether or not she wanted the marriage unfortunately didn't matter literally at all. The relationship was consummated, and her husband took possession of her stuff. Her opinion in the matter really was of no concern. This book tries to delude you into thinking that she could get a divorce just because her husband 'wasn't saying I love you.' Like, what?

We get a lot of exposition about how Gilly has some sort of magical empathic ability. A lot of the other books hint at the Murray's all having some sort of magical power, they refer to them as 'gifts', and yet nothing is ever done with these powers. They're literally so irrelevant it's hard to understand why they keep being mentioned. There was actually a really interesting opportunity here where Gilly's ability to 'see into people's hearts' would have let her know that Connor loved her even though he wouldn't say it, but Hannah Howell didn't take that chance and made it impossible for Gilly to read his heart. Like WHY.

Anyway, yeah. If you like male leads who are super sexually open, who are really quick to demand a lot of sexual service from the heroine, dominate them sexually and declare sexual ownership, but are simultaneously really emotionally-repressed, so absorbed with pride and ego that they can't concede to any feelings because it feels like losing? Any admission of love or care for the heroine feels like they're being dominated by her somehow and they can't have that? Then read these books. Me? I think Conner and men like him deserve to die alone. I need a break from this series, this isn't fun anymore.

[Cruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Gillyanne was still completely astonished that such a beautiful man could be such a poor lover." p.94, loc.1243

Author: Hannah Howell
First published: 2002
Length: 333 pages, 4725 locations
Setting: Scotland, 1465. Scottish Highlands.
Sex: frequent but pretty erotic. First time is rushed and unfulfilling, but he gets better.
Hero: Has fought for his clan after the death of many. He has been forced by circumstance to be hard and unemotional.
Series: Book 6 of Howell's Murray series. Book 1 of the MacEnroy's.

A good tale of expectations as Gillyanne shows Conor what it means to love.

There isn't really a lot more to say. It's a Hannah Howell Medieval. Solid, well-written, comfortable. The history is cleverly melded with an interesting narrative. Characters are engaging and likeable. The women know what they want and work to get it. The men are confused by their feelings and almost lose their One True Love.

You get what you expect.

Murray Family:
Three brothers – the patriarchs of the Murray Family
Book 1 Highland Promise - Lord Balfour Murray, laird of Donncoill and Maldie Kirkcaldy
Book 2 Highland Honor - Nigel Murray and Gisele Deveau
Book 3 Highland Destiny - Eric Murray and Bethia Drummond
The daughters:
Book 4 Highland Vow - Elspeth Murray and Cormac Armstrong (Balfour+Maldie's daughter)
Book 5 Highland Knight - Avery Murray and Cameron MacAlpin (Nigel+Giselle's daughter)
Book 6 Highland Bride - Gillyanne Murray + Conor MacEnroy (Eric+Bethia's daughter)

MacEnroy Family:
Highland Bride - Gillyanne Murray + Conor MacEnroy (Laird)
Highland Groom - Ilsa Campbell MacEnroy + Dairmit MacEnroy
Highland Warrior - Fiona MacEnroy and Ewan MacFingal

References:
Author's website: http://hannahhowell.com/

-CR-

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je viens de découvrir l’auteur et je suis ravie.
J’ai aimé ce roman ou les personnages principaux et secondaires ne manquent pas de caractère et de volonté !
J’ai aimé le fait que l’héroïne (Gillyanne) sache ce qu’elle veut, j’ai aussi compris son sentiment de solitude lorsque l’on est entouré que de couple d’où découle son envie de d’aller voir les terres dont elle est propriétaire.
J’ai aimé la façon dont elle se débarrasse de ces assaillants. J’ai trouvé cela ingénieux, mais aussi positivement inhabituel ! Cela change du classique combat que l’on peut avoir !
J’ai admiré comme les autres personnages l’amour, la confiance, la dévotion qu’elle a envers sa famille et notamment son père.
Le héros (Connor) est sympathique, intelligent du moins assez pour comprendre par rapport à ces adversaires qu’elle la demoiselle ne se rendra pas facilement !
On s’aperçoit rapidement que son clan compte énormément pour lui, qu’il vit pour le clan qui par le passé a eu des années difficiles.
Il se rendra rapidement compte que Gillyanne lui apporte beaucoup, et qu’elle comptera beaucoup pour lui. J’ai apprécié que pour une fois ce ne soit pas un couple en pleine incompréhension suite à des mensonges qui se lance des piques, ici ils se parlent et il comprend, au contact de Gillyanne, que tout ce qui lui a été inculqué sur les femmes et les choses de la vie ne sont pas forcément vrai. Surtout lorsqu’il s’aperçoit que toutes les femmes du clan soutiennent sa femme, plutôt que lui ; un des excellents moments du livre.
J’ai adoré aussi les personnages de la famille de Gillyanne, ils m’ont donné envie de lire la suite et les tomes précédents.

[Sara Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gillyanne Murray has decided it's time to go visit her dower lands as well retreat from her loving but overwhelming family. However, once she has arrived she is faced upon a tough decision of choosing from three suitors who only want her for her land. Through smart thinking she has managed to avoid bloodshed as the three Laird prepare to fight for her. But bloodshed may soon come and she picks one from among the three, Connor MacEnroy. Connor MacEnroy has been in charge of his clan since he was a young boy and he has had to harden himself. Gillyanne wants to win the love of her laird but it has proven tough not only due to his emotional detachment but his conniving uncle and an evil woman. I really liked this story, I found Gillyanne to be funny, creative and very real. The characters were well written and it was a book that had a good plot. Very enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend this book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has it all. A manly man, a heroic woman, and romance. I really enjoyed this story. I have always loved the tartness of Gillyanne and was glad to see her have a most interesting story. Although, there were many times I wanted to smack Connor, the overall story was great. It was nice to see that she was able to show him the error of his ways and work her way into his heart. This is a story that you can read over and over again and find more to like about it.

[Cindee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Not a bad story. It drug in places and there is NO WAY that men actually have conversations like the men in this book. And the endless psycho-analyzing got old really quickly. I skipped a lot of dialogue that was a repeat of the same thing. Other than that, it was a good lite read.

[Tracy's Place · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally read 8/13/12 - 4.5 out of 5 - My first Hannah Howell read and it was oh, so good.

Reread (audiobook) 1/11/18 - 3.75 out of 5 - I didn't like the audio version quite as much as the paperback, but it was still good.

[Angelina Georgieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Страхотна книжка! <3 <3 <3

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highland Humor

Gillyanne is a Murray lass. These lasses are blessed with a family who embraces them with love and worth. They are taught many things and can marry for love. Many women at that time are not valued except for strengthening their clans or childbearing. Three lairds wanted her lands and brought a small army outside her home. She was given this place by a great uncle. This also was unusual. She didn't have to marry to have it. I was delighted in how she decided to deal with the laird's armies. It probably wouldn't have worked if there was a ruthless army outside her door. It was pretty funny. Not so to the lairds. Gilly was forced to choose one. He did not know how to treat a woman. I was just as angry as Gillyanne in many circumstances of how Connor, her husband, treated her. There was a kidnapping, a traitor or two and a whole clan of people who loved her. She was a fortunate person to have all the people she had to love her. Loved reading.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same themes as usual from this author. The plot is driven forward by the intentionally written stupidity of the characters. I feel like a broken record saying the same thing about every book in this series. I own one more book in this series. After I’ve reread and reviewed that one, I won’t read anything from this series or author again. It’s just too frustrating.

In this installment, none of the men seem to have brains enough to figure out that the jealous lazy whore who got “dumped” when the Laird got married could be causing trouble. Or that the angry bitter uncle who tried to poison their minds with hate could be a villain. Good thing the Laird got married to someone who could solve all their problems and save them from themselves.

[Appalachia Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page-turner, for sure! One of the better Murray books I've read in a bit. We are slowly making our way through the Murray family, and this one is about Gillyanne Murray, daughter of Eric & Bethia Murray.

The one true fault I find in this book is the very cold way Conner acts with her when he consummates the marriage. It had me so furious that I didn't even want to finish the book. I now understand that it was because of his tightly held emotions AND the poison that his uncle Neil put in his mind. I'm glad that there was reason enough for it, but truly, why do men have to be so pig-headed and unfeeling?

Anyway, the book was a good one. Minus 1 star because men are idiots and Conner made me mad... :)

[Marcilla Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

No bad/not great, it was okay. Started out good. I liked Gillyanne besting her three suitors. I liked that Robert and David were more supportive of Connor then he originally thought. I did not like Gillyanne in the role of superwoman. She was able to travel three/four days after being shot by an arrow. She got the confession. She explain to the earl the correct interpretation of the facts of the crime committed to free Connor. Connor got on my nerves. He was very insensitive. Connor went from Gillyanne's best prospect before the marriage to two levels below David in the concept of basic human relationships.